Systems and method for configuring mobile device applications based on location

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for automatically configuring mobile device applications based on location are described. In an example, methods and systems for enabling contextual in-store experience modification on a mobile device can include capabilities for altering the functionality of a mobile application based at least in part on the location of the mobile device. For example, a mobile shopping application can be configured to perform different functions depending upon the type of retail location the mobile device is currently in. Additionally, the mobile application can be configured to enable different functions between a retail location and a user&#39;s residence, among other locations.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/958,340, filed on Aug. 2, 2013, which application claims the benefitof priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/695,196, filedon Aug. 30, 2012, which applications are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the software and dataas described below and in the drawings that form a part of thisdocument: Copyright 2012, eBay, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates generally to data processing within anetwork-based system operating over a distributed network or dataprocessing on a mobile device, and more specifically to systems andmethods for implementing a contextual in-store experience for mobiledevices.

BACKGROUND

The ever-increasing use of smart phones, such as the iPhone® (fromApple, Inc. of Cupertino Calif.), with data connections and locationdetermination capabilities is slowly changing the way people interact,shop for products and services, and even manage accounts. Smart phonescan provide users with nearly instant information regarding a wide rangeof information, such as product availability, friend locations, orpricing. For example, applications such as RedLaser™ (from eBay, Inc. ofSan Jose, Calif.) allow a smart phone user to scan a bar code andinstantly check prices across online and local retail outlets. Smartphones also commonly include mechanisms, such as global positioningsystem (GPS) receivers, that allow the devices to constantly updatelocation information. These technology changes are also driving changesin the way people wish to interact with mobile devices within differentcontextual locations (e.g., retail stores, at home, or at school).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation inthe figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system for enabling contextualin-store experience modifications on a mobile device, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an environment for operating amobile device, according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the mobile device, according toan example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a network-based system withinwhich contextual in-store experience modifications can operate,according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating geo-location modules, accordingto an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating example geofences and a mobiledevice trajectory associated with a particular geofence, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for using contextualin-store experience modification on a mobile device, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of enabling contextualin-store experience modification on a mobile device, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the example formof a computer system within which a set of instructions for causing themachine to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed hereinmay be executed.

DEFINITIONS

Location—For the purposes of this specification and the associatedclaims, the term “location” is used to refer to a geographic location,such as a longitude/latitude combination or a street address. The term“location” is also used within this specification in reference to aphysical location associated with an event, such as a vacationdestination.

Real-time—For the purposes of this specification and the associatedclaims, the term “real-time” is used to refer to calculations oroperations performed on-the-fly as events occur or input is received bythe operable system. However, the use of the term “real-time” is notintended to preclude operations that cause some latency between inputand response, so long as the latency is an unintended consequenceinduced by the performance characteristics of the machine.

Context—For the purposes of this specification and the associatedclaims, the term “context” is used to refer to environmental inputs,such as location, time, and weather conditions, among others. Thecontext generally refers to conditions describing an individual's (e.g.,user's) environment and/or activities. For example, context informationcan include a user's location, direction of movement, current activity(e.g., working, driving, playing golf, shopping, etc.), current weatherconditions, time of day, and time of year (e.g., season), among otherthings. In certain examples, context information about a user can alsoinclude past events, purchase history, or other historical data aboutthe user. In the following examples, context can alter how a particularmobile device (e.g., smart phone) application operates on a particularmobile device. For example, a mobile shopping application may enterdifferent modes depending upon location. In this example, if the user ofthe mobile device is at home the mobile shopping application may defaultto creation of a shopping list. In contrast, if the user of the mobiledevice is in a grocery store, the mobile shopping application can entera grocery shopping mode displaying a repetitive grocery list. In yetanother retail location, such as an electronics store, the mobileshopping application can enter a price comparison mode or access a wishlist.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example systems and methods for using contextual in-store experiencemodifications on a mobile device are described, among other things. Alsodescribed are systems and methods for generating and utilizing geofenceenabled mobile application configurations on a mobile device. In someexample embodiments, the systems and methods for enabling contextualin-store experience modifications on a mobile device allow a mobiledevice to seamlessly alter the functionality of a mobile applicationbased on location context, among other things. In the followingdescription, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details areset forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of exampleembodiments. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art,that the present invention may be practiced without these specificdetails. It will also be evident that contextual in-store experience ona mobile device is not limited to the examples provided and may includeother scenarios not specifically discussed.

Geofences can be used on a location-aware mobile device to detect when auser of the mobile device enters a specific location, such as a specificretail store. Geofences can be defined in terms of Global PositioningSystem (GPS) coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) combined with aradius measured in meters or feet, for example. Alternatively, geofencescan also be defined according a series of GPS coordinates defining abounding box. In yet other examples, a geofence can be any geometricshape defined by a mathematical formula and anchored by a GPScoordinate. In certain examples, location data points can also be usedto detect movement trajectories, which can be used to refine detectionof presence within geofences representing a physical location (e.g.,retail store, user's residence, etc. . . . ).

Using the concept of geofences or another means of location monitoring,a mobile device can monitor location and signal a mobile application tochange configuration based at least in part upon the current location ofthe device. For example, RedLaser (from eBay, Inc. of San Jose, Calif.)is a mobile shopping application that allows users to scan products andobtain pricing and other product information. The functionality thatautomatically occurs when a user scans a product (e.g., a bar code,Quick Response (QR) code, or similar 2D matrix codes) can be modifiedbased on the current location of the mobile device. If the mobile deviceis located within a retail location, the product scan can result inprice comparison between the current location and online options, forexample. Alternatively, if the mobile device is located within theuser's residence, scanning a product may bring up promotional materialsor a user guide for the product. In yet other examples, scanning aproduct may result in adding that product to a shopping list or onlinewish list. In some examples, the mobile application can include userconfigurable options for default responses within various locations,such as home, work, or individual retail stores (e.g., electronics storeversus grocery store), among others. For example, scanning a QR or barcode while in a grocery store can result in checking the product off ona shopping list as purchased. The mobile application can also provideinformation on a current location, such as store hours, address, phonenumber, return policies, price match policy, or top selling products,among others.

Mobile applications, such as RedLaser, can also be configured to sendnotifications customized to a particular location. The notifications canbe triggered when the mobile device (or a central monitoring service)detects that the mobile device has entered a particular location. Forexample, upon entering a particular electronics retailer location, themobile application can provide offers, deals, inventory information, orstore layout maps tailored to that particular location. This informationmay allow the mobile device user quicker access to the desired productor incent purchase of desired items. In some examples, the mobileapplication can interact with a network-based publishing system that canbe configured to send personalized notifications and offers customizedfor the individual user and the current location. For example, a mobiledevice user may maintain some sort of online wish list (or similar userprofile information on desired products and services), the online wishlist can be matched against a retail location's current inventory andoffers to produce a customized notification regarding opportunities forthe mobile device user to make a purchase of an item on the wish list.

Mobile devices, such as an iPhone® (from Apple, Inc. of Cupertino,Calif.) or a device running Android™ (from Google, Inc. of MountainView, Calif.), can often only monitor a limited number of geofences at agiven time. Additionally, applications running on a mobile devicecommonly can only update monitored geofences when the application isopened by a user (or at least active in memory on the mobile device).

In order to overcome the limitation of only being able to monitor alimited number of geofences, a concept of geofence paging has beendeveloped. Geofence paging can also provide a benefit of limiting theamount of memory required within a mobile device for monitoring andmaintaining geofences. For example, a mobile device operating accordingto an embodiment can monitor 10 geofences at any given time (pleasenote, 10 is an arbitrary number and is not intended to limit the systemsand methods disclosed herein). Nine of the monitored geofences areassigned to specific geographical locations of interest (e.g., a retailstore), while the 10^(th) geofence geographically encircles the othernine. In some examples, the nine smaller geofences are referred to aschild geofences with the large encompassing geofence referred to as aparent geofence. In yet other examples, the 10 geofences may be referredto as a page of geofences, with the large geofence describing theboundaries of the page and the smaller geofences located within thepage. The concept of geofence paging (or parent/child geofence groups)is further discussed in a co-pending application titled “Passive DynamicGeofencing for Mobile Devices,” by inventors Nate Lyman and Frank Russo,filed on Aug. 22, 2012, Application Ser. No. 61/692,173. The PassiveDynamic Geofencing for Mobile Devices application is hereby incorporatedby reference in its entirety.

Example System

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a system 100 for enabling contextualin-store experience modifications on a mobile device, according to anexample embodiment. In an example, system 100 can include users110A-110N (collectively referred to as either user 110 or users 110depending upon context) and a network-based publication system 120. Inan example, the users 110A-110N can connect to the network-basedpublication system 120 via mobile devices 115A-115N (collectivelyreferred to as mobile device 115). Users 110A-110N can also connect tothe network-based publication system 120 via clients 140A-140N(collectively referred to as client 140 or clients 140).

In an example, the users 110 can configure an account on thenetwork-based publication system 120. The account can be accessed byeach user, such as user 110A, using mobile device 115A or client 140A,if user 110A meets the specified access criteria or rules. In anexample, the access rules can include user identification and locationidentification rules (e.g., user must be located within a locationsupported by the network-based publication system 120). A user accounton the network-based publication system 120 can allow the user to definespecific locations of interest for monitoring via geofences. In someexamples, the network-based publication system 120 can monitor userbehavior and create geofences based on past and predicted userbehaviors. In certain examples, the network-based publication system 120can be used by merchants as a location-based advertising platform, whereusers, such as users 110, opt-in to location-based advertisements. Forexample, a national electronics retailer may use the network-basedpublication system 120 to provide location-based advertising to users110 via mobile devices 115. In this example, a series of parentgeofences may be generated, each encompassing a manageable number ofgeographically related retail locations. Each of the electronics storelocations would be covered by a much smaller child geofence that enablesthe network-based publication system 120 to serve location-basedadvertising relevant to the specific electronic retailer store locationonly when one of the users 110 is in geographic proximity to the store(based on the mobile device 115 detecting a location within one of themonitored child geofences).

In other examples, either the mobile device, such as mobile device 115,or the network-based publication network 120 can re-configure a mobileapplication based on entry into a child geofence (or via otherlocation-based determination and triggering mechanism).

Example Operating Environment

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an environment 200 for operatinga mobile device 115, according to an example embodiment. The environment200 is an example environment within which methods for implementingcontextual in-store experience modifications can operate. Theenvironment 200 can include a mobile device 115, a communicationconnection 210, a network 220, servers 230, a wireless communicationconnection 260, a communication satellite 270, a merchant server 280,and a database 290. The servers 230 can optionally include locationbased service application 232, location determination application 234,publication application 236, and location configurable application 238.The database 290 can optionally include geofence pages 292, userprofiles 294, and/or location history 296. The mobile device 115represents one example device that can be utilized by a user to monitorcurrent location and alter mobile device application behavior, such aslocation configurable application 238. The mobile device 115 may be anyof a variety of types of devices (for example, a cellular telephone, aPersonal Digital Assistant (PDA), a Personal Navigation Device (PND), ahandheld computer, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, or other typeof movable device). The mobile device 115 may interface via a connection210 with a communication network 220. Depending on the form of themobile device 115, any of a variety of types of connections 210 andcommunication networks 220 may be used.

For example, the connection 210 may be Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)connection, or other type of cellular connection. Such connection 210may implement any of a variety of types of data transfer technology,such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (1×RTT),Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service(GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)technology, or other data transfer technology (e.g., fourth generationwireless, 4G networks). When such technology is employed, thecommunication network 220 may include a cellular network that has aplurality of cell sites of overlapping geographic coverage,interconnected by cellular telephone exchanges. These cellular telephoneexchanges may be coupled to a network backbone (for example, the publicswitched telephone network (PSTN), a packet-switched data network, orother types of networks).

In another example, the connection 210 may be Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi,IEEE 802.11x type) connection, a Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX) connection, or another type of wireless dataconnection. In such an embodiment, the communication network 220 mayinclude one or more wireless access points coupled to a local areanetwork (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, or otherpacket-switched data network.

In yet another example, the connection 210 may be a wired connection,for example an Ethernet link, and the communication network may be aLAN, a WAN, the Internet, or other packet-switched data network.Accordingly, a variety of different configurations are expresslycontemplated.

A plurality of servers 230 may be coupled via interfaces to thecommunication network 220, for example, via wired or wirelessinterfaces. These servers 230 may be configured to provide various typesof services to the mobile device 115. For example, one or more servers230 may execute location based service (LBS) applications 232, whichinteroperate with software executing on the mobile device 115, toprovide LBSs to a user. LBSs can use knowledge of the device's location,and/or the location of other devices, to provide location-specificinformation, recommendations, notifications, interactive capabilities,and/or other functionality to a user. For example, an LBS application232 can provide location data to a network-based publication system 120,which can then be used to provide access to a group account on thenetwork-based publication system 120. Knowledge of the device'slocation, and/or the location of other devices, may be obtained throughinteroperation of the mobile device 115 with a location determinationapplication 234 executing on one or more of the servers 230. Locationinformation may also be provided by the mobile device 115, without useof a location determination application, such as application 234. Incertain examples, the mobile device 115 may have some limited locationdetermination capabilities that are augmented by the locationdetermination application 234. In some examples, the servers 230 canalso include publication application 236 for providing location-awarepublication of data such as advertisements or offers. In certainexamples, location data can be provided to the publication application236 by the location determination application 234. In some examples, thelocation data provided by the location determination application 234 caninclude merchant information (e.g., identification of a retaillocation). In certain examples, the location determination application234 can receive signals via the network 220 to further identify alocation. For example, a merchant may broadcast a specific IEEE 802.11service set identifier (SSID) that can be interpreted by the locationdetermination application 234 to identify a particular retail location.In another example, the merchant may broadcast an identification signalvia radio-frequency identification (RFID), near-field communication(NFC), or a similar protocol that can be used by the locationdetermination application 234. In addition to examples using thesevarious mechanisms to identify a particular location, these mechanisms(e.g., SSIDs, RFIDs, NFC, and so forth) can be used as secondaryauthentication factors, which are discussed in more detail below.

In certain examples, the location configurable application 238 canleverage the LBS application 232 or the location determinationapplication 234 to assist in determining device location and properlocation-based configuration to apply.

Example Mobile Device

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the mobile device 115, accordingto an example embodiment. The mobile device 115 may include a processor310. The processor 310 may be any of a variety of different types ofcommercially available processors suitable for mobile devices (forexample, an XScale architecture microprocessor, a Microprocessor withoutInterlocked Pipeline Stages (MIPS) architecture processor, or anothertype of processor). A memory 320, such as a Random Access Memory (RAM),a Flash memory, or other type of memory, is typically accessible to theprocessor 310. The memory 320 may be adapted to store an operatingsystem (OS) 330, as well as application programs 340, such as a mobilelocation enabled application that may provide LBSs to a user. In certainexamples, the application programs 340 can include instructions to alterfunctional behavior based on location information. The processor 310 maybe coupled, either directly or via appropriate intermediary hardware, toa display 350 and to one or more input/output (I/O) devices 360, such asa keypad, a touch panel sensor, a microphone, and the like. Similarly,in some embodiments, the processor 310 may be coupled to a transceiver370 that interfaces with an antenna 390. The transceiver 370 may beconfigured to both transmit and receive cellular network signals,wireless data signals, or other types of signals via the antenna 390,depending on the nature of the mobile device 115. In this manner, theconnection 210 with the communication network 220 may be established.Further, in some configurations, a GPS receiver 380 may also make use ofthe antenna 390 to receive GPS signals.

Additional detail regarding providing and receiving location-basedservices can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,848,765, titled “Location-BasedServices,” granted to Phillips et al. and assigned to eBay, Inc. of SanJose, Calif., which is hereby incorporated by reference.

An example geo-location concept discussed within U.S. Pat. No. 7,848,765is a geofence. A geofence can be defined as a perimeter or boundaryaround a physical location or mobile object (e.g., a user). A geofencecan be as simple as a radius around a physical location defining acircular region around the location. However, a geofence can be anygeometric shape or an arbitrary boundary drawn on a map. A geofence canbe used to determine a geographical area of interest for the calculationof demographics, advertising, or similar purposes. Geofences can be usedin conjunction with the offer generation and delivery concepts discussedherein. For example, a geofence can be used to assist in determiningwhether a user (or mobile device associated with the user) is within ageographic area of interest (e.g., target location) to providing accessto a group account. If the user is within a geofence established byprovisioning of a group account, the systems discussed herein can usethat information to authorize the user to access the group account, suchas authorizing the user to process a payment against a group paymentaccount.

Example Platform Architecture

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a network-based system 400 withinwhich contextual in-store experience modifications can operate,according to an example embodiment. The block diagram depicts anetwork-based system 400 (in the exemplary form of a client-serversystem), within which an example embodiment can be deployed. A networkedsystem 402 is shown, in the example form of a network-basedlocation-aware publication or payment system, that provides server-sidefunctionality, via a network 404 (e.g., the Internet or WAN) to one ormore client machines 410, 412. FIG. 4 illustrates, for example, a webclient 406 (e.g., a browser, such as the Internet Explorer browserdeveloped by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. State) and aprogrammatic client 408 (e.g., PAYPAL payments smart phone applicationfrom PayPal, Inc. of San Jose Calif.) executing on respective clientmachines 410 and 412. In an example, the client machines 410 and 412 canbe in the form of a mobile device, such as mobile device 115. In yetanother example, the programmatic client 408 can be the RedLaser mobileshopping application from eBay, Inc. of San Jose, Calif.

An Application Programming Interface (API) server 414 and a web server416 are coupled to, and provide programmatic and web interfacesrespectively to, one or more application servers 418. The applicationservers 418 host one or more publication modules 420 (in certainexamples, these can also include commerce modules, advertising modules,and marketplace modules, to name a few), payment modules 422, andgeo-location modules 432. The application servers 418 are, in turn,shown to be coupled to one or more database servers 424 that facilitateaccess to one or more databases 426. In some examples, the applicationserver 418 can access the databases 426 directly without the need for adatabase server 424.

The publication modules 420 may provide a number of publicationfunctions and services to users that access the networked system 402.The payment modules 422 may likewise provide a number of paymentservices and functions to users. The payment modules 422 may allow usersto accumulate value (e.g., in a commercial currency, such as the U.S.dollar, or a proprietary currency, such as “points”) in accounts, andthen later to redeem the accumulated value for products (e.g., goods orservices) that are advertised or made available via the variouspublication modules 420, within retail locations, or within externalonline retail venues. The payment modules 422 can also be configured tofacilitate payment processing based on geofence detection and work inconjunction with the geo-location modules 432. The geo-location modules432 may provide determination of current location, among other things.While the publication modules 420, payment modules 422, and geo-locationmodules 432 are shown in FIG. 4 to all form part of the networked system402, it will be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, thepayment modules 422 may form part of a payment service that is separateand distinct from the networked system 402.

Further, while the system 400 shown in FIG. 4 employs a client-serverarchitecture, the present invention is of course not limited to such anarchitecture, and could equally well find application in a distributed,or peer-to-peer, architecture system, for example. The variouspublication modules 420, payment modules 422, and authorization modules432 could also be implemented as standalone systems or softwareprograms, which do not necessarily have networking capabilities.

The web client 406 accesses the various publication modules 420, paymentmodules 422, and geo-location modules 432 via the web interfacesupported by the web server 416. Similarly, the programmatic client 408accesses the various services and functions provided by the publicationmodules 420, payment modules 422, and geo-location modules 432 via theprogrammatic interface provided by the API server 414. The programmaticclient 408 may, for example, be a smart phone application (e.g., thePAYPAL payments application) that enables users to process paymentsdirectly from their smart phones leveraging user profile data andcurrent location information provided by the smart phone or accessedover the network 404.

FIG. 4 also illustrates a third party application 428, executing on athird party server machine 440, as having programmatic access to thenetworked system 402 via the programmatic interface provided by the APIserver 414. For example, the third party application 428 may, utilizinginformation retrieved from the networked system 402, support one or morefeatures or functions on a web site hosted by the third party. The thirdparty website may, for example, provide one or more promotional,marketplace or payment functions that are supported by the relevantapplications of the networked system 402. Additionally, the third partywebsite may provide merchants with access to the geo-location modules432 for advertising or marketing purposes.

Example Geo-Location Modules

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating geo-location modules 432,according to an example embodiment. In this example, the geo-locationmodules 432 can include a rules engine 505, a communication module 510,a generation module 520, an account module 530, and a location module540. In an example, the geo-location modules 432 can access database 426to store and/or retrieve generation rules, user profile data, locationdata, and geofences (parent and child), as well as other information, toenable contextual in-store experience modifications to a mobileapplication running on a mobile device.

In an example, the rules engine 505 can be configured to manage andevaluate rules controlling how one or more mobile applications can beconfigured in various locations or other contextual situations (e.g.,weather, time of day, time of the year, etc. . . . ).

The communication mobile 510 can be configured to manage allcommunications involving the geo-location module 432. In an example, thecommunication module 510 can be configured to manage communicationsbetween the geo-location modules 432 and a user, where the user iscommunicating via the mobile device 115 or the client 140.

In an example, the generation module 520 is configured to generatemobile application configuration packages (e.g., files) according toinformation provided by modules, such as the account module 530, thelocation module 540 and the rules engine 505.

In an example, the account module 530 is configured to provision (setup)and manage a user account on the networked system 402. In certainexamples, the account module 530 can provision a user account accordingto configuration data received by the communication module 510. Theaccount module 530 can also work in conjunction with the rules engine505 in provisioning or decommissioning user accounts.

In an example, the location module 540 is configured to receive locationdata from a mobile device, such as mobile device 115, and determine fromthe location data a current physical location, which may includereference to landmarks or other sites of interest. In some examples, thelocation module 540 can receive GPS-type coordinates (e.g., longitudeand latitude), which can be used to establish a current locationassociated with a mobile device (and, thus, a user of the mobiledevice). Using the longitude and latitude coordinates, the locationmodule 540 can determine if the current location is within a currentparent geofence, for example. In certain examples, the location module540 can receive other location determining information from a mobiledevice, such as a photograph or scan of data only readily available at acertain physical location (generally referred to as secondary locationauthentication factor). In another example, some merchants may broadcastspecific wireless network signals that can be received by a mobiledevice, such as mobile device 115. Once received, the mobile device 115can include programming or circuitry to translate the signal into aspecific location, or the mobile device 115 can simply retransmit theunique signal to the location module 540. In an example, a merchantlocation can transmit a unique SSID, which the location module can beprogrammed to interpret as identifying a specific merchant location. Inanother example, the merchant may broadcast a unique SSID within all ofits locations and the location module 540 can be programmed to use acombination of the unique SSID and other location data (e.g., GPScoordinates or cell tower locations) to identify a specific location.Further functionality that can be provided by the location module 540 isdiscussed in reference to FIG. 6 below.

Additional details regarding the functionality provided by thegeo-location modules 432 are detailed in reference to FIGS. 6-8 below.

Example Geo-Location Trajectory Tracking

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating example geofences and a mobiledevice trajectory associated with a particular geofence, according to anexample embodiment. In this example, geofences 610A through 610N(collectively referred to as geofence 610 or geofences 610 dependingupon context) represent a series of monitored geofences. In certainexamples, geofences 610 can represent a series of monitored physicallocations, such as a chain of coffee shops or retail stores. Locations630A through 630N (collectively referred to as locations 630) representchronologically captured location data from a mobile device, such asmobile device 115. In an example, locations 630 can be analyzed todetermine a trajectory 620 of mobile device 115, which can in turn beutilized to more accurately determine when the mobile device 115actually enters a geofence, such as geofence 610C. Tracking a mobiledevice, such as mobile device 115, over time can provide more accuratelocation information than merely receiving a single location indicatorfrom the mobile device 115. Additionally, using trajectories 620 canimprove the ability to accurately determine when a mobile deviceactually enters a physical location, such as a retail store.

In some examples, location determination mechanisms can also uselocation averaging to improve the accuracy of location determination.For example, in addition to using trajectory tracking, the networkedsystem 402 can also obtain multiple location data points from the mobiledevice 115 to further refine the location data used in subsequentprocessing. Similarly, the mobile device 115 itself can also uselocation averaging to refine the position reported out or used by mobileapplications for other location-based services and processing.

Example Methods

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method 700 for using contextualin-store experience modification on a mobile device, according to anexample embodiment. In an example, the method 700 can include operationsfor: monitoring mobile device location at 710, monitoring one or moregeofences on a mobile device at 720, detecting entry into a monitoredgeofence at 730, configuring a mobile application based at least in parton entry into the monitored geofence at 740, and optionally alteringfunctionality of a particular mobile application function based onpresence within a geofence at 750.

In an example, the method 700 can begin at 710 with the mobile device115 monitoring its current location. At 720, the method 700 can continuewith the mobile device 115 monitoring one or more geofences in referenceto the current location of the mobile device 115. At 730, the method 700can continue with the mobile device 115 detecting entry into a monitoredgeofence. In an example, the mobile device 115 can detect entry into themonitored geofence including calculating a trajectory associated withthe mobile device 115.

At 740, the method 700 can continue with the mobile device 115configuring a mobile application based at least in part on entry intothe monitored geofence. In an example, the mobile device 115 can selecta mobile application configuration based on the entered geofence (e.g.,physical location). In this example, each geofence (or type of geofence)can have a mobile application configuration associated with it. Finally,at 750, the method 700 can optionally include the mobile device 115altering a specific individual function of a mobile application based onpresence within a geofence (or physical location if determined throughmeans other than geofencing).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method 800 of enabling contextualin-store experience modification on a mobile device, according to anexample embodiment. In an example, the method 800 can include operationsfor: monitoring geofences associated with physical locations at 810,receiving mobile device location data at 820, determining whether themobile device is within a location at 830, selecting a mobileapplication configuration at 840, and transmitting a mobile applicationconfiguration at 850. Optionally, the method 800 can also includeoperations such as: receiving a mobile application function request at860 and processing the mobile application request at 870.

The method 800 can begin at operation 810 with the networked system 402monitoring one or more geofences associated with physical locations. Inan example, the networked system 402 can be configured to monitorgeofences associated with various retail locations and other locationsof interest to subscribing users (e.g., users of a particular mobileapplication or users registered with the networked system 402). Thenetworked system 402 can also monitor multiple mobile devices, such asmobile devices 115, in reference to the geofences. At 820, the method800 can continue with networked system 402 receiving, from a mobiledevice, such as mobile device 115, location data indicating a currentlocation associated with the mobile device 115.

At 830, the method 800 can continue with the networked system 402determining, based on the location data received from the mobile device115, whether the mobile device 115 is within a monitored geofence (e.g.,within a physical location of interest). If the networked system 402determines that the mobile device 115 is within a physical location ofinterest (e.g., a geofence), then the method 800 can continue at 840,with the networked system 402 selecting a mobile applicationconfiguration corresponding to the physical location (e.g., geofence).At 850, the method 800 can continue with the networked system 402transmitting the mobile application configuration to the mobile device115.

Optionally, the method 800 can also include operation 860 that includesthe networked system 402 receiving a mobile application function requestfrom the mobile device 115. In an example, the method 800 can continueat 870 with the networked system 402 processing the mobile applicationfunction request based at least in part on the current location of themobile device 115. For example, if the networked system 402 determines(at operation 830) that the mobile device 115 is located within anelectronics retail store, the mobile application function request can beprocessed in light of this information. In this example, if the mobileapplication function request includes a product identifier, thenetworked system 402 can interpret the function request as a pricecomparison request, and process it accordingly.

Modules, Components and Logic

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium or ina transmission signal) or hardware modules. A hardware module is atangible unit capable of performing certain operations and may beconfigured or arranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, oneor more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client, or server computersystem) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., aprocessor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g.,an application or application portion) as a hardware module thatoperates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, a hardware module may be implementedmechanically or electronically. For example, a hardware module maycomprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured(e.g., as a special-purpose processor, such as a field programmable gatearray (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) toperform certain operations. A hardware module may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement a hardware modulemechanically, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or intemporarily configured circuitry (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner and/or toperform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments inwhich hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed),each of the hardware modules need not be configured or instantiated atany one instance in time. For example, where the hardware modulescomprise a general-purpose processor configured using software, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respective differenthardware modules at different times. Software may accordingly configurea processor, for example, to constitute a particular hardware module atone instance of time and to constitute a different hardware module at adifferent instance of time.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multipleof such hardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connects the hardware modules. In embodiments in whichmultiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated at differenttimes, communications between such hardware modules may be achieved, forexample, through the storage and retrieval of information in memorystructures to which the multiple hardware modules have access. Forexample, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modulesreferred to herein may, in some example embodiments, compriseprocessor-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of amethod may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented modules. The performance of certain of theoperations may be distributed among the one or more processors, not onlyresiding within a single machine, but deployed across a number ofmachines. In some example embodiments, the processor or processors maybe located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, anoffice environment or as a server farm), while in other embodiments theprocessors may be distributed across a number of locations.

The one or more processors may also operate to support performance ofthe relevant operations in a “cloud computing” environment or as a“software as a service” (SaaS). For example, at least some of theoperations may be performed by a group of computers (as examples ofmachines including processors), with these operations being accessiblevia a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriateinterfaces (e.g., APIs).

Electronic Apparatus and System

Example embodiments may be implemented in digital electronic circuitry,or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or in combinations ofthese. Example embodiments may be implemented using a computer programproduct, for example, a computer program tangibly embodied in aninformation carrier, for example, in a machine-readable medium forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus,for example, a programmable processor, a computer, or multiplecomputers.

A computer program can be written in any form of programming language,including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed inany form, including as a stand-alone program or as a module, subroutine,or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. A computerprogram can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiplecomputers at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

In example embodiments, operations may be performed by one or moreprogrammable processors executing a computer program to performfunctions by operating on input data and generating output. Methodoperations can also be performed by, and apparatus of exampleembodiments may be implemented as, special purpose logic circuitry(e.g., a FPGA or an ASIC).

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other. Inembodiments deploying a programmable computing system, it will beappreciated that both hardware and software architectures requireconsideration. Specifically, it will be appreciated that the choice ofwhether to implement certain functionality in permanently configuredhardware (e.g., an ASIC), in temporarily configured hardware (e.g., acombination of software and a programmable processor), or a combinationof permanently and temporarily configured hardware may be a designchoice. Below are set out hardware (e.g., machine) and softwarearchitectures that may be deployed, in various example embodiments.

Example Machine Architecture and Machine-Readable Medium

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a machine in the example form of a computersystem 900 within which instructions, for causing the machine to performany one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, may be executed.In alternative embodiments, the machine operates as a standalone deviceor may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networkeddeployment, the machine may operate in the capacity of a server or aclient machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. Themachine may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box(STB), a PDA, a cellular telephone, a web appliance, a network router,switch or bridge, or any machine capable of executing instructions(sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by thatmachine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the term“machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machines thatindividually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructionsto perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The example computer system 900 includes a processor 902 (e.g., acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) orboth), a main memory 904 and a static memory 906, which communicate witheach other via a bus 908. The computer system 900 may further include avideo display unit 910 (e.g., a liquid crystal displays (LCD) or acathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 900 also includes analphanumeric input device 912 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control (userinterface (UI) navigation) device 914 (e.g., a mouse), a disk drive unit916, a signal generation device 918 (e.g., a speaker) and a networkinterface device 920.

Machine-Readable Medium

The disk drive unit 916 includes a machine-readable medium 922 on whichis stored one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g.,software) 924 embodying or used by any one or more of the methodologiesor functions described herein. The instructions 924 may also reside,completely or at least partially, within the main memory 904, staticmemory 906, and/or within the processor 902 during execution thereof bythe computer system 900, with the main memory 904 and the processor 902also constituting machine-readable media.

While the machine-readable medium 922 is shown in an example embodimentto be a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” may include asingle medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributeddatabase, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one ormore instructions or data structures. The term “machine-readable medium”shall also be taken to include any tangible medium that is capable ofstoring, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies of the present invention, or that is capable of storing,encoding or carrying data structures used by or associated with suchinstructions. The term “machine-readable medium” shall accordingly betaken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories andoptical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable mediainclude non-volatile memory, including by way of example, semiconductormemory devices (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM),Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removabledisks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

Transmission Medium

The instructions 924 may further be transmitted or received over acommunications network 926 using a transmission medium. The instructions924 may be transmitted using the network interface device 920 and anyone of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., HTTP). Examplesof communication networks include a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, mobiletelephone networks, Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wirelessdata networks (e.g., WiFi and WiMAX networks). The term “transmissionmedium” shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capableof storing, encoding or carrying instructions for execution by themachine, and includes digital or analog communications signals or otherintangible media to facilitate communication of such software.

Thus, a method and system for contextual in-store experiencemodification on a mobile device has been described. Although the presentinvention has been described with reference to specific exampleembodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changesmay be made to these embodiments without departing from the broaderspirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the specification anddrawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

Although an embodiment has been described with reference to specificexample embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications andchanges may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings that form a parthereof, show by way of illustration, and not of limitation, specificembodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. Theembodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to enablethose skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein.Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. This Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred toherein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merelyfor convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope ofthis application to any single invention or inventive concept if morethan one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the above description.

All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in thisdocument are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, asthough individually incorporated by reference. In the event ofinconsistent usages between this document and those documents soincorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference(s)should be considered supplementary to that of this document; forirreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.

In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patentdocuments, to include one or more than one, independent of any otherinstances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In thisdocument, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that“A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unlessotherwise indicated. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and“in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respectiveterms “comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, theterms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended; that is, a system,device, article, or process that includes elements in addition to thoselisted after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within thescope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms“first,” “second,” and “third,” and so forth are used merely as labels,and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R.§1.72(b), requiring an abstract that will allow the reader to quicklyascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted withthe understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit thescope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing DetailedDescription, it can be seen that various features are grouped togetherin a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure.This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed embodiments require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed embodiment. Thus the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separate embodiment.

The claimed invention includes:
 1. A method of improving locationdetermination accuracy of a mobile device comprising: monitoring, on themobile device, a parent geofence that geographically encompasses aplurality of child geofences, each of the child geofences representing aphysical location within the parent geofence; detecting, based at leastin part on a first location of the mobile device, entry into a firstchild geofence of the plurality of child geofences within the parentgeofence; detecting, based at least in part on a second location of themobile device, entry into a second child geofence of the plurality ofchild geofences within the parent geofence; tracking a chronology of theplurality of child geofences entered by the mobile device, thechronology indicating a chronological sorting of location dataindicative of locations of the mobile device within the parent geofence,the location data including at least first location data correspondingto the first location of the mobile device and second location datacorresponding to the second location of the mobile device; andcalculating a trajectory of the mobile device based on the chronology ofchild geofences.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the pluralityof child geofences include a corresponding mobile applicationconfiguration, the mobile application configuration altering a functionperformed by an application executed on the mobile device.
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein the monitoring the plurality of child geofencesincludes monitoring a plurality of types of geofences.
 4. The method ofclaim 3, further comprising: associating a type of geofence from theplurality of types of geofences with each geofence of the plurality ofchild geofences; and assigning a mobile application configuration toeach type of geofence of the plurality of types of geofences.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: detecting entry into a firstchild geofence from among the plurality of child geofences based on thetrajectory.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: accessing awish list associated with a user of the mobile device, the wish listcomprising a list of desired items; and causing display of anotification at the mobile device based on the trajectory, wherein thenotification includes an offer based on the list of desired items of thewish list.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating ageofence that encompasses a location based on the trajectory.
 8. Asystem to improve location determination accuracy of a mobile devicecomprising: one or more processors; a memory including instructionsthat, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system toperform operations comprising: monitoring, on the mobile device, aparent geofence that geographically encompasses a plurality of childgeofences, each of the child geofences representing a physical locationwithin the parent geofence; detecting, based at least in part on a firstlocation of the mobile device, entry into a first child geofence of theplurality of child geofences within the parent geofence; detecting,based at least in art on a second location of the mobile device, entryinto a second child geofence of the plurality of child geofences withinthe parent geofence; tracking a chronology of the plurality of childgeofences entered by the mobile device, the chronology indicating achronological sorting of location data indicative of locations of themobile device within the parent geofence, the location data including atleast first location data corresponding to the first location of themobile device and second location data corresponding to the secondlocation of the mobile device; and calculating a trajectory of themobile device based on the chronology of child geofences.
 9. The systemof claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of child geofences include acorresponding mobile application configuration, the mobile applicationconfiguration altering a function performed by an application executedon the mobile device.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the monitoringthe plurality of child geofences includes monitoring a plurality oftypes of geofences.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructionscause the system to perform operations further comprising: associating atype of geofence from the plurality of types of geofences with eachgeofence of the plurality of child geofences; and assigning a mobileapplication configuration to each type of geofence of the plurality oftypes of geofences.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructionscause the system to perform operations further comprising: detectingentry into a first child geofence from among the plurality of childgeofences based on the trajectory.
 13. The system of claim 8, whereinthe instructions cause the system to perform operations furthercomprising: accessing a wish list associated with a user of the mobiledevice, the wish list comprising a list of desired items; and causingdisplay of a notification at the mobile device based on the trajectory,wherein the notification includes an offer based on the list of desireditems of the wish list.
 14. The system of claim 8, wherein theinstructions cause the system to perform operations further comprising:generating a geofence that encompasses a location based on thetrajectory.
 15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage mediumincluding instructions that, when executed by one or more processors ofa mobile device, cause the mobile device to perform operations toimprove location determination accuracy of a mobile device, theoperations comprising: monitoring, on the mobile device, a parentgeofence that geographically encompasses a plurality of child geofences,each of the child geofences representing a physical location within theparent geofence; detecting, based at least in part on a first locationof the mobile device, entry into a first child geofence of the pluralityof child geofences within the parent geofence; detecting, based at leastin part on a second location of the mobile device, entry into a secondchild geofence of the plurality of child geofences within the parentgeofence; tracking a chronology of the child geofences entered by themobile device, the chronology indicating a chronological sorting oflocation data indicative of locations of the mobile device within theparent geofence, the location data including at least first locationdata corresponding to the first location of the mobile device and secondlocation data corresponding to the second location of the mobile device;and calculating a trajectory of the mobile device based on thechronology of child geofences.
 16. The non-transitory machine-readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of childgeofences include a corresponding mobile application configuration, themobile application configuration altering a function performed by anapplication executed on the mobile device.
 17. The non-transitorymachine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the monitoring theplurality of child geofences includes monitoring a plurality of types ofgeofences.
 18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium ofclaim 17, wherein the instructions cause the mobile device to performoperations further comprising: associating a type of geofence from theplurality of types of geofences with each geofence of the plurality ofchild geofences; and assigning a mobile application configuration toeach type of geofence of the plurality of types of geofences.
 19. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein theinstructions cause the mobile device to perform operations furthercomprising: detecting entry into a first child geofence from among theplurality of child geofences based on the trajectory.
 20. Thenon-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein theinstructions cause the mobile device to perform operations furthercomprising: accessing a wish list associated with a user of the mobiledevice, the wish list comprising a list of desired items; and causingdisplay of a notification at the mobile device based on the trajectory,wherein the notification includes an offer based on the list of desireditems of the wish list.